Finding aid for the Arthur J. Naparstek Papers

Biography of Arthur J. Naparstek

Arthur J. Naparstek (1939-2004) was a faculty member and administrator at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), serving as Dean from 1983 to 1988. He remained on staff until his death in 2004.

His interests were varied, but much of his research and activity focused upon the plight of the urban poor and urban revitalization. Among his professional activities prior to his affiliation with CWRU, Naparstek directed the University of Southern California's Washington (D.C.) Public Affairs Center. He also directed policy and research at Catholic University's Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs and was the Associate Director of Purdue University's Urban Development Institute where he was a key advisor to Gary Hatcher, the first African American mayor of Gary, Indiana.

Appointed by Cleveland Mayor Michael White in 1990 as Director of the Cleveland Foundation Commission on Poverty, he directed and edited the Commission's report. The report became the basis of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Urban Revitalization Demonstration Act (Hope VI). This design for urban renewal remains the federal standard for urban renewal in the United States.

Naparstek was concurrently active in leadership roles in Jewish communal organizations. Among the positions he held were the President of the Mandel Associated Foundations and Director of its Commission on Jewish Education in North America and Director of the United Jewish Communities' Israel and Overseas Pillar. He also served as Chairman of the United Jewish Communities' Partnership 2000 program between Cleveland and Beit Shean, Israel.

Scope and Content

The Arthur J. Naparstek Papers, 1962-2004 and undated, consist of applications, awards, catalogues, correspondence, curricula vitae, lists, minutes, memoranda, newspaper clippings, notes, proposals, publications, reports, syllabi, transcripts, and writings.

The collection is of value to researchers studying ethnicity and class in American neighborhoods, urban policy, urban renewal, philanthropy, higher education administration, community service, and the Cleveland, Ohio, Jewish community, especially its involvement in the development of Israel. Materials in the collection focus on both the federal commitment to national urban renewal and, specifically, urban renewal in Cleveland, Ohio. Those investigating the relationship between Jewish communal organizations' attempts to support and aid Israel in ameliorating problems in economically depressed Israeli areas will find this collection useful. The collection also documents attempts by Jewish communal organizations to support absorbing and integrating disparate immigrant groups, like Jewish Ethiopians, into Israeli society. Of particular note in the collection are the assessments and evaluations of the Hope VI local programs in urban regeneration and reports and evaluations concerning the challenges faced by Mayor Gary Hatcher of the city of Gary, Indiana. All of the files concern Naparstek's activities in professional and communal organizations; the communal organizations include both secular and Jewish institutions. There are no personal or family papers in the collection.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

All photographs have been removed to the photograph and print collections. All audio-visual material has been removed to the audio-visual collections.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5075 Arthur J. Naparstek Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Belleruth Naparstek in 2005.

Processing Information

Processed by Stanley Lasky in 2011.

Detailed Description of The Collection